


Dining with the Enemy

by Ursa_Tattoo



Series: Undarcop AU [5]
Category: The LEGO Movie (2014)
Genre: (of your worst enemy), Alternate Universe, Awkward Family Dinners, Begrudging Care, Complicated Relationships, Gen, Meeting the Parents, Undarcop, rex very much wants to escape this situation but he's stuck here, rivalries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-22 06:54:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19662109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ursa_Tattoo/pseuds/Ursa_Tattoo
Summary: For rnainframe's Undarcop AU.Rex doesn't like worrying about things. Maybe if he hadn't been so worried about Powers, he wouldn't be in this situation.





	Dining with the Enemy

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by the following post: https://mariogolf.info/post/185903645801/susiephone-my-favorite-oddly-specific-trope-is

Rex can, logically, think through the progression that got him into this situation. It's a simple list of steps from fucking around on the Rexcelsior all the way to... this.

Step one: Rex spent an entire loop without a single interruption from Powers.

That's an easy one, really. He's gotten used to seeing Powers at _some_ point, and his adversary is annoyingly punctual. (Well, it's not really _that_ annoying. Rex is a fan of consistency, it'd probably be more irritating if they _didn't_ have a solid pattern to adhere to.) So being allowed to almost complete a scheme with no sign of his rival in sight? It's... weird.

Step two is that he actively stepped away from The Plan (and it's always The Plan in capitals, even when it's not related to his main goal) in order to find out what the fuck is keeping Powers held up like that.

Tracking him through time was easy, really, especially since Powers happened to be in the first place he looked: Powers's home timeline. Not the most pleasant of places, but a familiar enough sight at this point.

Finding his exact location was equally simple, albeit... kind of sad.

The home of Ma and Pa Angels.

Step three along the line to Rex's new personal hell? Peering into the windows and seeing... that. Seeing Powers visibly trying to avoid crumbling, with the screen of one of Rex's various gadgets detecting massive temporal distortion from consistently looping the same short span of time over and over. Red couldn't keep a smile on his face and Blue kept glancing around, paranoid, only to meet Rex's eyes with a frightened, twitchy gaze.

Step four was actually _talking_ to Powers, who'd clearly been having some kind of episode, and... well, _trying_ to help. Rex used to be able to talk people down with ease, and it's not a skill he's totally abandoned, so he... did okay. He offered advice, and, miracle of miracles, Powers let Rex _inside._

Step five is the simplest step of all: Powers's parents noticed Rex's presence, and invited him to stay for _dinner._ Joy of joys. Powers threatened him again when Mr. and Mrs. Angels stepped out of the room, but that's normal. What's _not_ normal is being here at all.

At the moment, Rex and Powers are seated on opposite sides of the table from each other, making a tense sort of eye contact as Ma Angels finishes making the food and Pa Angels sets the table.

"So you're a friend of Daniel's, Mr...?" Pa Angels's voice is perfectly kind and pleasant despite the clear tension. Maybe he's trying to _cut_ the tension.

"Call me Rex, sir. We're colleagues, we run into each other a lot." Being polite without slipping into his old voice is strange, to say the least, but he thinks he's managing.

Powers looks like he has to bite back the bitterest of words upon being called Rex's 'colleague', but Rex can't think of a single word that can sum up the fucked up situation he and Powers exist in that wouldn't totally ruin the dinner for everyone.

"Oh, dearie, if you're a friend of Daniel, you can call us Ma and Pa," Ma Angels says, and Rex doesn't even need to _look_ to feel Powers's glare burning a hole into his head.

"Ah, thank you, but I'd rather not. Professional boundaries, y'know?" It's weird to be so benign without totally faking his personality, but let no one say that Rex isn't a good actor.

He can feel Powers's glare... not _soften,_ per say, but lose a little intensity, and Rex resists the urge to sigh in relief.

The places are set, and food is served, and the Angels family's attention is squarely on Rex. It makes sense, he's the newcomer, and he's never been one to shrink from the spotlight, but he's gotta think on his feet in order to get through this without permanently ruining... whatever the fuck you can call his relationship to Powers. Rivals? Rivals.

"If you and Daniel are colleagues, what do you do with the station?" Pa's polite as he cuts into his meal.

"I say colleagues, but we don't really work together _directly_ like that. It's more that we do similar stuff that makes us keep running into each other. I do a lot of varied stuff, and a bunch of it results in me running into your son." Not a lie, technically, but it sounds _much_ better than _'I'm directly responsible for your son's personal hell, so he's devoted his life to kicking my ass.'_

Even so, he can feel Powers resisting the urge to glare at him, instead staring into his food. Rex bristles a bit internally, because come on, he's doing his best here.

Thankfully for him, Ma and Pa Angels put their attention onto Powers after a moment, asking him about his work, and Rex has time to breathe, filling his mouth with food to avoid conversation. It's good food, and Rex _immediately_ understands why it's such a comfort. This isn't something he's ever had, really, but he imagines it'd be something to cling to.

Still, soon enough, the attention is back on Rex, and he turns on the charm for Powers's parents. It's softer, so as to not seem overly suspicious, but he can talk and laugh his way through a conversation as easily as he does anything else.

They ask about work again, and Rex jokes about how Powers wants to throttle him when he messes up, and he feels his stomach sink as he watches Powers tense. Nothing comes of it, it's not the weirdest comment he could make, but one thing is certain: it's going to be a _very_ long dinner.


End file.
